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Soccer year in review

Borussia Dortmund’s Mats Hummels (15) scores a goal by penalty kick against against Olympique Marseille goalkeeper Steve Mandana during their Champions League Group F soccer match in Dortmund December 6, 2011. REUTERS/Wolfgang Rattay (GERMANY – Tags: SPORT SOCCER)

It was a good year fro Soccer games, but a bad year for FIFA according to this year in review.

Los Angeles Galaxy wins MLS Cup

The Los Angeles Galaxy celebrate their win over the Houston Dynamo in the MLS Cup at the Home Depot Center in Carson, California on Nov. 20, 2011. The Galaxy won 1-0. UPI/Lori Shepler.

The Los Angeles Galaxy defeated the Houston Dynamo 1-0 in the MLS Cup at the Home Depot Center. Above you can see Landon Donovan celebrating, as he should.

It was inevitable that this year’s MLS Cup would be all about David Beckham. His presence alone at the Home Depot Center on Sunday was enough to send fans, league officials, journalists and photographers into a tizzy. It was as if there was no one else on the field, as if no one else mattered. Five years after Beckham came to our shores to spread the gospel of soccer, this final was to be his crowning achievement. In truth, it was a personal victory for another player.

That player is Beckham’s Los Angeles Galaxy teammate Landon Donovan. While Beckham was looking for a Hollywood ending to cement his legacy a few years after his commitment to the Galaxy had come into question, Donovan is no stranger to winning in Major League Soccer. The Galaxy’s 1-0 victory over the Houston Dynamo to win MLS Cup put Donovan forever in the pantheon of this country’s greatest soccer players. For the 29-year-old midfielder, scoring the game-winner and lifting the trophy capped a great season and put an end to a personal dry spell dating back six years.

This game capped off a very successful season for the MLS which should continue to build the popularity of soccer in the United States.

England defeats Spain

England’s Ashely Cole (R) and Spain’s Sergio Busquets challenge for the ball during their international friendly soccer match at Wembley Stadium in London, November 12, 2011. REUTERS/Darren Staples (BRITAIN – Tags: SPORT SOCCER)

Everyone has been hailing Spain, but England defeated Spain yesterday 1-0.

Just the day before, Theodore Furchtgott wrote that there was no end in sight for Spain’s dominance, but that was also the prevailing view.

PUMA promotes African soccer

PUMA is promoting African national soccer teams with new uniforms. South Africa’s Steven Pienaar, Cameroon’s Samuel Eto’o, Ivory Coast’s Yaya Toure, Ghana’s Asamoah Gyan and Gabon’s Didier Ovono pose in new Puma kits for their national soccer teams during the launch at the Design Museum in London

(From L to R) South Africa’s Steven Pienaar, Cameroon’s Samuel Eto’o, Ivory Coast’s Yaya Toure, Ghana’s Asamoah Gyan and Gabon’s Didier Ovono pose in new Puma kits for their national soccer teams during the launch at the Design Museum in London November 7, 2011. REUTERS/Olivia Harris (BRITAIN – Tags: SPORT SOCCER BUSINESS)

MLS passes NBA as third most attended sport in USA

Real Salt Lake defender Chris Wingert (17) and Los Angeles Galaxy midfielder David Beckham (23) battle for the ball in the second half in the MLS Western Conference Final game at the Home Depot Center in Carson, California on Nov. 6, 2011. The Galaxy won 3-1. UPI/Lori Shepler.

This is great news for soccer in the United States:

Major League Soccer set a new high-water mark for average attendance this season, as expansion clubs in Portland and Vancouver lived up to preseason expectations for big crowds, and a new stadium and rebranding effort in Kansas City turned around that city’s once-ailing club.

Average attendance for the 18 clubs rose 7.2 percent to 17,872 spectators a game this season, surpassing the league’s previous record of 17,406, which was set during its inaugural season in 1996. The league’s lowest attendance came in 2000 when it averaged just 13,756 fans. Since 2007, its average has consistently stayed between 16,000 and 17,000. The strong showing at the gate brought MLS’s average above the most recent seasons for both the NHL (17,132) and NBA (17,323).

The new cities are making a big impact, and that’s a huge development.

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